Grand jury mulls charging police in Laquan McDonald shooting

CHICAGO, Sept. 12 (UPI) — A grand jury has been left to decide if Chicago police officers will be charged for a possible cover up in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, a judge said on Monday.

Special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes had asked for a grand jury to hear evidence in the 2014 shooting of the black teen and on Monday it was granted by a Cook County judge. Holmes, a former judge, believes it is the fairest way to move forward.

“The evidence can then be heard by a variety of people with different backgrounds,” she said. “It’s fair and it’s impartial and it lends credibility to the process.”

Judge LeRoy Martin Jr., scheduled the grand jury to convene in two weeks. Other details have not been announced.

Holmes could keep her investigation squarely on the officers directly involved in the incident or expand it to include the officer’s supervisors, lawyers involved in the case said. The exact number of police personnel being investigated Holmes would not disclose and said there is “no rush to judgement.”

“We want to make sure that they are treated fairly,” Holmes said. “And that we’re doing things the way that they ought to be done.”